Canon Powershot S5 IS

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Canon recently introduced the successor to the Canon Powershot S3 IS in early 2007. This new model is the Canon Powershot S5 IS, and fans of the S3 will surely enjoy the S5 seeing that the S5 has only minor changes and upgrades. Unfortunately that's a two-edged sword; keep reading to find out why.

Introduction

The few changes in the new S5 are all welcome additions to the largely successful camera line. The sensor resolution has been increased from 6 megapixels to 8 megapixels. The LCD screen size has been increased by 0.5 inches to put it at a usable 2.5 inches. Probably the best upgrade, though, is the implementation of Canon's Digic III processor which is supposed to increase performance, image quality, and extend battery life.

I'm a big fan of the Digic III processor, and I have seen the positive results that it has had on some of Canon's other models. So I like this upgrade a lot, and I think that Canon's innovation is what keeps them among the top digital camera manufacturers in the world. With that being said, other companies are nipping at Canon's heels with new technology that may eventually overturn Canon's reign as top digital camera maker. For this reason alone, I was a little surprised to see only a few upgrades in this camera when Canon has the technology to create a camera that would blow people away with performance, image quality, and design.

I have a few minor issues with the S5, such as the lens capabilities -- it has great zooming power at 12x optical zoom, but lacks the ability to take wide angle shots. In my opinion, it's time for Canon to upgrade the lens on their next camera in this line, because the same lens has been used on the past three models. With technology constantly improving, Canon will have to keep upgrading the components of their cameras in order to keep up with the competition.

With the lens issues aside, I think the S5 has a lot going for it and is a great camera. It offers exceptional performance when compared to its closest competition, and produces decent image quality. Other super zoom cameras may not perform quite as well, but some are about half of the price of the S5 such as the Fujifilm FinePix S700. So I think the higher price of the S5 could hurt sales, as the competition is priced much lower.